ArcaMax

As two real estate giants escalate a war over how homes should be listed for sale online, both sides say they’re acting in the interest of consumers.

Both sides also stand to make a lot of money if they win.

The issue intensified at the end of 2024, when Compass, the country’s largest brokerage by sales volume, began advising its sellers ...Read more

The eviction court of Alameda County, California, was crowded on a recent Wednesday. It usually is.

Tenants, family members, landlords and attorneys — about 100 people in all — waited long hours to appear before a judge at the Hayward Hall of Justice. Fifty-six people were slated to appear that day in a marathon of back-to-back sessions. ...Read more

It took more than half a century for developer Martin Selig to build one of Seattle's largest downtown office portfolios — and barely six months to lose control of most of it.

Since late last year, 19 of Selig's roughly 30 downtown buildings have been put under outside management or turned over to lenders after pandemic-related vacancies left...Read more

Behold, the insurance secrets that surface when you look at publicly available data a different way, by ranking companies by what they charge per $1,000 of insured value:

—Collectively, Florida-based property insurers charge significantly higher rates per $1,000 than companies headquartered outside the state charge.

—Owners of condominium ...Read more

If you’re worried about owing gift taxes if you give money or property away, keep this in mind: Very few taxpayers end up on the hook for this particular tax.

There are two reasons why.

The first is that you can give away up to $19,000 in 2025 (it was $18,000 in 2024) per person — to as many people as you want, according to the IRS. And if...Read more

The U.S. economy has been full of surprises since the Federal Reserve started rapidly raising interest rates to quell inflation back in 2022. The latest shocker might just be that the Trump administration’s tariffs haven’t pushed up inflation more.

Since April, taxes on foreign-made and imported goods have been the highest in nearly a ...Read more

The “big, beautiful” tax bill that’s currently winding its way through Congress would, if it becomes law, lead to drastically different results for U.S. taxpayers, depending on where you fall on the income spectrum.

The wealthy would see their income grow while the lowest income Americans would experience sharp cuts, according to a report...Read more

Seattle is on track to ban landlords' use of controversial rent-setting software that has been under legal fire for years.

A Seattle City Council committee on Wednesday advanced a bill to bar landlords from subscribing to software platforms that compile rental information to recommend rent prices. The proposal targets the platform RealPage, ...Read more

If you’ve been watching mortgage rates hover near 7% this year, you’re probably feeling frustrated.

The dream of homeownership feels more expensive than ever. And for many prospective buyers, purchasing when rates are high means stretching their budget, settling for less house than they want or risking financial strain.

But here’s what ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Beyond immediate needs tied to shelter and safety, preservation experts and local officials say they’ve heard a common refrain in the aftermath of last month’s deadly tornado that ravaged parts of St. Louis, bringing down multiple brick structures:

What’s going to become of all that brick from damaged buildings — and how ...Read more

“Focus on facts, not emotions.”

I wrote that once, but I’ve come to realize that sometimes saving money is as much about contending with your emotions as it is about budgeting. Here’s what I mean.

I usually have this gnawing guilt anytime I spend a few hours at home doing “nothing.” To be clear, I don’t mean staring at the wall...Read more

When you imagine a renter of affordable housing, Christopher McCormick is probably not who comes to mind.

The 38-year-old software developer was on his way to work in early 2020 when he passed an affordable apartment building under construction in Emeryville, California. He was surprised to find that his annual income — $79,400 — qualified ...Read more